She attributes the symptoms to radiation exposure, and added: “We are encountering new situations we cannot explain with the body of knowledge we have relied upon up until now.”

“The situation at the Daiichi Nuclear facility in Fukushima has not yet been fully stabilised, and we can’t yet see an end in sight,” Yanagisawa said. “Because the nuclear material has not yet been encapsulated, radiation continues to stream into the environment.”….”Yanagisawa’s hospital is located approximately 200km from Fukushima, so the health problems she is seeing that she attributes to radiation exposure causes her to be concerned by what she believes to be a grossly inadequate response from the government.

From her perspective, the only thing the government has done is to, on April 25, raise the acceptable radiation exposure limit for children from 1 mSv/year to 20 mSv/year.

“This has caused controversy, from the medical point of view,” Yanagisawa told Al Jazeera. “This is certainly an issue that involves both personal internal exposures as well as low-dose exposures.” …”Lower doses of radiation, particularly for children, are what many in the medical community are most concerned about, according to Dr Yanagisawa.

“Humans are not yet capable of accurately measuring the low dose exposure or internal exposure,” she explained, “Arguing ‘it is safe because it is not yet scientifically proven [to be unsafe]‘ would be wrong. That fact is that we are not yet collecting enough information to prove the situations scientifically. If that is the case, we can never say it is safe just by increasing the annual 1mSv level twenty fold.”

Her concern is that the new exposure standards by the Japanese government do not take into account differences between adults and children, since children’s sensitivity to radiation exposure is several times higher than that of adults.”

“Early on in the disaster, Dr Makoto Kondo of the department of radiology of Keio University’s School of Medicine warned of “a large difference in radiation effects on adults compared to children”.

Kondo explained the chances of children developing cancer from radiation exposure was many times higher than adults.

“Children’s bodies are underdeveloped and easily affected by radiation, which could cause cancer or slow body development. It can also affect their brain development,” he said.

Yanagisawa assumes that the Japanese government’s evacuation standards, as well as their raising the permissible exposure limit to 20mSv “can cause hazards to children’s health,” and therefore “children are at a greater risk”.

Nishio Masamichi, director of Japan’s Hakkaido Cancer Centre and a radiation treatment specialist, published an article on July 27 titled: “The Problem of Radiation Exposure Countermeasures for the Fukushima Nuclear Accident: Concerns for the Present Situation”.

In the report, Masamichi said that such a dramatic increase in permitted radiation exposure was akin to “taking the lives of the people lightly”. He believes that 20mSv is too high, especially for children who are far more susceptible to radiation.”

“Dr Yanagisawa is concerned about what she calls “late onset disorders” from radiation exposure resulting from the Fukushima disaster, as well as increasing cases of infertility and miscarriages.

“Incidence of cancer will undoubtedly increase,” she said. “In the case of children, thyroid cancer and leukemia can start to appear after several years. In the case of adults, the incidence of various types of cancer will increase over the course of several decades.”

Yanagisawa said it is “without doubt” that cancer rates among the Fukushima nuclear workers will increase, as will cases of lethargy, atherosclerosis, and other chronic diseases among the general population in the effected areas.

Yanagisawa believes it is time to listen to survivors of the atomic bombings. “To be exposed to radiation, to be told there is no immediate effect, and afterwards to be stricken with cancer – what it is like to suffer this way over a long period of time, only the survivors of the atomic bombings can truly understand,” she told Al Jazeera.”

“Dr Nanao Kamada, professor emeritus of radiation biology at Hiroshima University, has been to Fukushima prefecture twice in order to take internal radiation exposure readings and facilitated the study.

“Kodama believes the government needs to begin a large-scale response in order to begin decontaminating affected areas. He cited Japan’s itai itai disease, when cadmium poisoning from mining resulted in the government eventually having to spend 800 billion yen to decontaminate an area of 1,500 hectares.

Technical Committee on issues internal exposure of citizens and scientists
Notice of the General Assembly and Symposium Memorial Lecture, Part 1

Studies meeting our internal exposure, citizens and scientists, has a General Assembly of the first on April 22,
You finally moved a major step in the activities. The moon is growing along with the General Assembly, of the Memorial
You do’re going to open up our public lectures and symposia widely.
Below, it will inform the content of the lecture and symposium, please join assimilate.

Admission is free but should be noted, in relation to the capacity of the venue, you will be by appointment only
Let’s eat.
If you prefer, please apply by e-mail to office@acsir.org non-member supporting member. Will be made up to 100 people-come-first-served basis.

Although the General Assembly will be held only in a supporting member, membership, and its contents,
You can refer to us in our HP.
http://www.acsir.org/

★ to attendees
JR Sobu Line will go to the venue, and the departure station (fast, going slowly) Square Station south exit of the Shinkoiwa,
Or confusing directions to the venue is quite crowded buses and taxis, cars, people
May not. Taxi has just go in less than 1,000 yen, bus, walk
It is recommended that if it is kept in check well in advance.

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[Koiwa station from the south exit bus stop (4)]
[Town bus station Keisei Koiwa] Keisatsushomae Komatsugawa ~ 74 small
Koiwa Station to station two countries Kinshicho metropolitan bus [27] Nishiki
1 minute walk from “cultural center before Edogawa”
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15-minute walk from the south exit of the station Shinkoiwa”